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NY last in biz climate: report

At the time this article was written we at least we had some hope brought about by false statements from our Albany leaders. Now we know that NY is just going to continue the slide except, I assure you there will be less operating farms, even with the mushroom dreams of Yogurt saving the day. JLCpulse

Erik Kriss 4/3/12 New York Post

ALBANY — The Empire State’s economic outlook remains at the bottom of the national heap in a conservative think tank’s annual survey of the states.

“New York ranks dead last for the fourth year in a row by engaging in the same old cronyism and job-killing policies that have pushed countless job creators to look for greener pastures,” the American Legislative Exchange Council declared.

New York, which last escaped the group’s cellar in 2008 — when it ranked 49th — lost points for high taxes, generous welfare benefits, strong unions and a “death” tax in the council’s analysis of 15 factors.

Fifteen months into the job, Gov. Cuomo came in for some explicit criticism.

Noting that New Jersey recently added 66,000 private-sector jobs while cutting 21,000 from government, “across the river in New York . . . Gov. Andrew Cuomo just announced a tax increase on the wealthiest taxpayers,” famed supply-side economist Arthur Laffer and his report co-authors wrote.

Cuomo last December engineered an overhaul of state income taxes to keep rates on millionaires well above their scheduled 2012 levels — while modestly reducing rates for those making $40,000 to $300,000 a year.

Cuomo spokesman Matt Wing noted that the governor signed the state’s “first-ever property-tax cap, substantially cut back payroll taxes, and enacted the lowest tax rate for the middle class in 58 years.”